SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — The historic fountain at City Hall in South San Francisco has gone dry, as part of the city’s ongoing efforts to save water in the face of California’s historic drought.
On Monday, Mayor Richard Garbarino shut off the fountain, a move which city officials say will save almost 28,000 gallons of water annually.
Even though the fountain uses recirculated water, the city needs to completely refill its 650 gallon volume about every nine days because of evaporation or because of blow-off from the wind, according to officials.
The city says it has taken aggressive efforts to conserve water.
Officials say last year, the city reduced water consumption by more than 20% compared to 2013 levels by implementing measures including turning off water for established and ornamental landscaped areas and reducing the amount and frequency of watering parks.
In the first three months of this year, the city further reduced use by an additional 53% over 2014 levels, which amounted to a 47% reduction compared to 2013, according to the city.
The City Hall’s fountain was erected in 1929 by the South San Francisco Women’s Club in memory of Marianne Martin, who founded the club.
As part of today’s event to shut off the fountain, the city also highlighted its drought awareness campaign which includes a kids’ poster contest designed to get children actively involved in conservation efforts.
